Security
eWeek, 12/16/03: IBM Tool Eases Data Management for Novices
By Brian Fonseca
IBM on Tuesday offered a preview of its new Policy Based Data Management tool on its alphaWorks Web site. The tool is geared towards assisting non-technical IT administrators and senior managers with automating routine data administration tasks.
IBM's Policy Based Data Management tool is designed to assist people untrained in the intricacies of database management to define complex policies that can then be executed automatically based on the definitions, said Mukesh Mohania, research staff member with the IBM India Research Lab, housed in New Delhi's India Institute of Technology.
The tool features two user interfaces: one for business object definition and the other for policy definition. Mohania said the technology will automatically detect any conflicts between the policies while defining them from the desktop, regardless of who is at the controls. The tool then automatically ensures the accurate execution of the business-policy response to the situation, such as database events, transactional events and external events.
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Computerworld, 12/16/03: Cisco warns of holes in PIX firewalls
The problem also affects Catalyst 6500 and 7600 series switches
Story by Paul Roberts
Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. is warning customers about security holes in its PIX firewall product and firewall software that runs on the Catalyst 6500 and 7600 series switches.
Cisco issued two security advisories yesterday describing vulnerabilities that could allow remote attackers to shut down Cisco firewalls using HTTP or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) requests designed to exploit the weaknesses.
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Microsoft
eWeek, 12/16/03: Enterprises: Brace for a Rocky XP SP2 Road
By Matt Hicks
As Microsoft Corp. prepares to release a beta of the next update to Windows XP, enterprise users need to get ready for what could be one of the most complicated service packs to deploy, analysts said on Tuesday.
Service Pack 2, expected in beta this week, will be packed with new security features—everything from an improved firewall to the blocking of pop-up ads—that might convince XP holdouts to move to the newer operating system but also could impact desktop settings and enterprise policies for current XP users.
"This beta is not just patches and fixes but fundamental changes to the security settings of your systems," said Al Gillen, an analyst at IDC, based in Framingham, Mass.
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Infoworld, 12/16/03: Win 98's demise leaves questions about security
OS's longevity could create security problems if Microsoft stops issuing patches in January
By Paul Roberts and John Ribeiro
Days after software giant Microsoft Corp. announced that it will stop distributing the Windows 98 operating system, and weeks ahead of the scheduled end of support, industry experts warn that the OS (operating system), though long in the tooth, is still widely used within organizations.
However, the operating system's longevity could pose significant security challenges for organizations if Microsoft keeps to its promise to stop issuing security patches in January, prompting companies worldwide to weigh costly jumps to newer Windows versions, security experts and Microsoft customers report.
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With more than 39 million copies of Windows 98 installed across the globe, according to research group IDC, the impact of Microsoft's policy on Windows 98 will be felt far and wide.
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Microsoft Public Relations, 12/16/03: Q&A: Protecting that New PC from the Minute It Comes Out of the Box
Many people likely are giving or receiving computers as holiday gifts this season. While recipients are eager to dive into the exciting world of computing, online communication and Web exploration, it's also important that owners protect their new computers and personal information from viruses and hackers.
This means getting the most recent software, such as anti-virus applications, as well as the latest operating system updates that may help to protect against recently discovered vulnerabilities. Such software can be downloaded from the Internet. However, since new online threats may have developed in the time between a computer's manufacture and its sale, a user going online to get protective software needed for safe computing may be putting that computer and their personal information at risk.
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eWeek, 12/16/03: Microsoft releases management software beta
By Ina Fried
Microsoft on Tuesday said it released an updated test version of one of its main management software products.
The company said Beta 2 of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2004 became available Monday to testers. The upgrade to MOM offers new tools Microsoft said will help system administrators more easily track and resolve problems, as well as an improved user interface for the software's main console. The software is part of Microsoft's broader program to make Windows networks more manageable, an effort known as the Dynamic Systems Initiative.
The company has two main management software programs: MOM and Systems Management Server (SMS). SMS is aimed at allowing large companies to distribute software updates and patches automatically to PCs over corporate networks. MOM, meanwhile, is for monitoring the ongoing status of a network to avoid problems such as an overloaded server or a dropped network connection.
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Otherwise
The New York Times, 12/17/03: Triumph Tinged With Regret in Middle Earth
By ELVIS MITCHELL
After the galloping intelligence displayed in the first two parts of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, your fear may be that the director, Peter Jackson, would become cautious and unimaginative with the last episode, "The Return of the King." Look at what "The Matrix" did to the Wachowski brothers; the last two were like action movies made for CNBC.
But Mr. Jackson crushes any such fear. His "King" is a meticulous and prodigious vision made by a director who was not hamstrung by heavy use of computer special-effects imagery. A sequence in which a number of signal fires are lighted on a stretch of mountain ranges simultaneously is a towering moment; it has the majesty that every studio's opening logo shot sprains itself striving to achieve.
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